Great views from behind the camera

Info on Ed Schafer, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Ag

Info on Ed Schafer, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Ag

November 09, 2007|By Connie Sieh Groop, Farm Forum Editor

Thanks to all who shared wonderful photos of farm life, animals, kids, scenery, business and olden days. We've heard people have enjoyed seeing the edition that came out Nov. 5, showcasing the winners and a number of the other photos that deserved honorable mention. If you missed getting a copy of our special edition, we still have copies here at the American News/Farm Forum. Unfortunately, we couldn't print all of the photos but they can be seen. If you have access to the Internet, go to farmforum.net. Click on the link to the Farm Forum Photo Contest gallery. The Grand Prize winning photo was taken by Rita Pettigrew of Mina. All of the judges loved the intense concentration shown by both the driver and the dog in the photo - there's no doubt that the pair are intent on their purpose and dedicated to their work in rural South Dakota! Comments from reader One of the farmers I talked with this week said he'd just finished up the harvest. He noted that when he went through all of the assembly sheets, he ended up with close to the same number of bushels as two years ago - but this year got twice the price. His questions was, “How did we survive before?” Many farmers are wrestling with whether to store their corn and beans and wait for higher prices. Even with record high prices, there is anticipation that prices will still go up - the eternal optimism of farmers. All of the corn is not yet in the bin. I talked with a custom operator out west who is worried that local elevators are full up. Will farmers have to store grain on the farm in piles? There already is a lot of corn in bunkers and on the ground. Storage is really at a premium. In an Associated Press story earlier this fall, the federal government expects U.S. farmers to produce a record 13.3 billion bushels of corn this year, with about 25 percent of that crop used for ethanol. South Dakota farmers will grow a record 559 million bushels of corn this year, with about half of those bushels winding up in gas tanks. Farmers in the state planted just 9 percent more corn acres than last year, but the state's fields will produce 77 percent more of the crop. For perspective, it is estimated that with corn prices at around $4 a bushel, corn accounts for about 6 cents of the cost of a liter of pop, 18.6 cents per pound of beef and 2.2 cents of each box of corn flakes. Info on Ed Schafer, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Ag I've heard a lot of positive comments about the nomination of Ed Schafer for the position of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Our poll this week showed all votes in favor of his nomination. Here is some bio info on Ed Schafer: AGE - 61; born August 8, 1946; Bismarck, N.D. EXPERIENCE - North Dakota governor, 1992-00; president of Fish 'N Dakota, 1990-94; president of Triesco Properties, 1986; president of Dakota Classics, 1986; president of Gold Seal Co., 1978-85; owner/director of H&S Distribution, 1976; chairman of management committee at Gold Seal Co., 1975-78; vice president of Gold Seal Co., 1974; quality control inspector at Gold Seal Co., 1971-73. EDUCATION - Bachelor's degree, University of North Dakota, 1969; master's of business, University of Denver, 1970. QUOTE - ''I realize that the mission of this agency (Dept. of Ag) goes far beyond the services delivered to the preservation of a way of life that I believe is the foundation of this country.''